Wednesday, May 16, 2018

In their third appearance before the Landmarks Preservation Committee (LPC), the owners of 827-831 Broadway received the OK yesterday for a glass addition atop the twin cast-iron buildings here between 12th Street and 13th Street.

Last November, the LPC voted to landmark the circa-1866 buildings where artists Willem and Elaine de Kooning and Paul Jenkins, among others, lived and worked. The Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation campaigned for more than 18 months to help spare these buildings from demolition.

The LPC then rejected plans for a rooftop addition designed by DXA studio in January (too overwhelming) and April.

The third try finally seemed to pay off for the architecture firm with the Commission unanimously praising the efforts of the architects. The glass addition has now been reduced to three stories and has a 36-foot setback from the street level, making it a lot less visible from the street level than in previous iterations.

“It’s a marvel to take all that information and create something that is sensitive and elegant,” said Meenakshi Srinivasan, the chair of the Landmarks Commission, shortly before the Commission voted to approve the structure.

The LPC didn't have much to say about a seven-floor addition on an adjacent property at 47 E. 12th St. that's also part of the overall development. That addition will proceed for use as office space.

Reps for DXA studio issued a news release with more details on the project...

The 3 story addition will be composed of slumped, reflective glazing that’s curved form references the organic and spontaneous qualities of the art work of de Kooning and his contemporaries. “We felt the reflective nature of the glass could serve to capture the kinetic quality of the surroundings, broadcasting back color, textures, and movement, helping us see the world around us in a different way,” said Partner Jordan Rogove. “The reflection also turns the lens back on New York City, a place forever changed by the immense contributions of the New York School painters making it the capital of the art world for the first time.”

The original 4 story Italianate warehouse building that the addition sits atop will be fully restored. A new historical wood storefront will be installed at 831, and 827’s existing wood storefront will be restored. The addition’s slumped glazing is arranged in the same rhythm as the original building, balancing two sympathetic facades built of the material and technologies of their respective times.

This is pathetic. Preservation is a joke to the real estate industry. They will not lose. This is about ego and greed. And the LPC is a joke. And to make it more insulting, IT'S UGLY! This is ONE PARTY RULE at its worst. And I don't mean the Dems. I mean the real estate industry. Whatever they want they get... especially with our pay-for-play Mayor.

A visit to archives

Text and photos by Stacie Joy When I meet up with David Prettyman and Jazz P. Souisay, the co-owners of Bali Kitchen , it’s late on a we...

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